


Gray Flowers

by muscatmusic18



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Lilith is soft, honestly they both are, minor PTSD, that's really the whole plot, they're just in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:15:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22768393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muscatmusic18/pseuds/muscatmusic18
Summary: Lilith and Zelda meet and fall in love without any apocalypses hanging over their heads.Inspired by Gray Flowers by The Gray Havens
Relationships: Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith
Comments: 16
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I took a lot of liberties with this, but we're going with it! My first time writing Madam Spellman, let me know how I did!
> 
> Inspired by the song Gray Flowers by The Gray Havens, but I changed a couple of the pronouns to make it gay.
> 
> Slight content warning, there's a mild description of some of the abuse Zelda suffered from Faustus. Nothing too graphic, but if you're sensitive to stuff like this please be kind to yourself and stay healthy :)

_The color-coded town  
They had one rule  
No grays allowed_  


~~~~~~~~~  


Greendale was a backwards little town. It seemed it was its own little world, going on with its sleepy daily routine, it’s monthly festivals, or it’s celebrations regardless of what happened in the outside world. Zelda could barely stand to live in the town sometimes, and it was clear that Greendale shared about as much love for her as she did for it. She wanted desperately to leave some days, to just whisk herself off somewhere else, preferably somewhere with a beach and a drink in her hand, if it wasn’t for her family. Not only did she have her niece, nephew, and sister, but she had her mortuary, which had been owned by her father and his father’s before. So yes, she wanted to run somedays and to never look back, but she was nothing if not loyal to her family. She would remain there in Greendale, regardless of what the town thought of the Spellman’s and their mortuary. She would remain for her family.  


~~~~~~~~~  


_A stranger to the town, she came  
And met a girl that few would say  
Is worth thinking of_  


~~~~~~~~~  


Lilith gazed at the newly purchased cottage, turning the key to it over in her hand. It was older, sturdily constructed with stone and oak, and it was set a little way into the woods, still in town but far enough away not to be bothered. It wasn’t the kind of house she ever saw purchasing for herself, but this was her new beginning, she told herself. She’s finally broken away from him; she’d won her freedom, and perhaps that called for something unexpected for herself.  


~~~~~~~~~  


Lilith is at the farmer’s market, when she first sees her. She’s looking over some plums, choosing the ripest ones when she spots a redheaded woman across the street, browsing some stall that’s selling preserves.

“Who is that woman over there, the red head in the black dress?” Lilith asks the stall owner, jutting her chin in the woman’s direction.

The stall owner turns his head and looks. “Oh, that’s Zelda, of Spellman Sisters Mortuary.” Lilith doesn’t miss the slight shiver that runs through him as he mentions the mortuary. “The whole family is a bit odd, if you ask me, especially that one. Living in a black house that keeps corpses in the basement, what kind of life is that?”

Lilith tunes out the man, watching Zelda as she moves from one stall to the next. Witches tend to fly under the radar, so much so that Lilith usually doesn’t notice them, but this one was different, she could tell she was a witch the moment Lilith saw her. It wasn’t just that, though, that drew Lilith’s attention to Zelda. It was something in the way she carried herself, the way she took every step with purpose, as though it was her Satan-given right to tread where she pleased. It was that confidence that drew Lilith towards her, almost absentmindedly, until she was standing in front of the redhead, giving her a half smile.

Zelda eyed her critically, looking her up and down. “Excuse me, do I know you?”

Lilith smirked. “No. At least not personally.” She held out a hand. “I’m Lilith.”

Zelda looked her up and down before gingerly taking her hand. “Lilith,” she said, drawing out the name as though savoring it, “that’s not a name I’ve heard for a while.”

“Well, I’ve had it for forever.” Quite literally, she thought, though she didn’t say it out loud. From what she could see, Zelda already knew exactly who she was. 

“Mind if I walk with you, Ms. Spellman?” A part of Lilith was delighted by the look of shock that crossed Zelda’s face from her knowing her name, one that she tried so hard to mask. For such an impeccable woman, she surely wore her heart in her features.

“Not at all, Lilith.” Zelda said her name as though it was liquid rolling of her tongue, like a murmur shared between lovers in the dead of night, and it sent a thrill down the brunette’s spine when she heard it. Lilith held out an arm, hoping to someone that she’d get to hear Zelda say her name a thousand times.  


~~~~~~~~~  


_Still she fell in love_  


~~~~~~~~~  


Thinking back on it, Lilith realizes that she’d fallen in love with Zelda the first time she’d seen her smile. Not her calculated one, the one she wore in public in order to exude an air of indifference, but her real smile, the soft one she saved for when she was with someone she trusted.

This may have been the moment that Lilith fell in love with her, but this wasn’t the moment that she realized she was in love. That moment came much later, and it came at the most unexpected time.

Lilith had been woken by a sound, one small enough that she could almost ignore it and go back to sleep. It was a sort of squeaking, muffled, as though it was coming from another room. She cracked an eye, taking in Zelda’s bedroom. Nothing seemed out of place, and nothing appeared to be causing the noise. She opened both eyes to look around the room, turning her head towards the door only to see Zelda standing there. She was pale in the moonlight, her body rigid and hunched in pain, and it was then that Lilith realized that the squeaking sound was coming from her, her sobs muffled by the hand clasped over her mouth.

“Zelda?” Lilith swung her legs out of bed and stood, taking a few slow steps towards the redhead, not wanting to spook her. “Zelda, darling? Are you alright?”

Zelda only sobbed and shook her head. Lilith was close enough now to see the goosebumps on her skin, so she placed her hands, warm thanks to millennia spent in hellfire, on her lover’s shoulders. Zelda tensed even more at the touch but didn’t shake her off. She took her hand away from her mouth, her breath coming in pants as she tried to speak.

“I—he, he was—I—oh Satan,” Zelda stopped, bowing her head as she leaned her forearms on the door.

Lilith’s heart clenched and she stepped closer to Zelda still, mumbling a small calming spell into her hair, one that would loosen the tightness in her chest. It took effect, and Zelda leaned back into Lilith a bit.

“He was in my bedroom. He tried to force me to my knees, tried to make me beg for it, but I said no. He didn’t like it when I said no.”

“It was just a nightmare, my love,” Lilith murmured, stroking her back. She knew Zelda had them, not often anymore, but she’d never seen the direct aftermath of one, only the haunted look in her eyes the morning after. Never the panic, the terror that showed now in every fiber of her being.

“He forced me on my hands and knees, like some animal. Threatened me with a whip if I tried to move.”

“You’re free now, darling,” Lilith cooed in her ear, but fell silent to let her continue.

“Sometimes he’d tie me up, the ropes so tight my hands would lose feeling and – oh Gods.” Her knees gave out, but Lilith caught her, easing them both to the floor. She pulled the redhead to her lap, cradling and rocking her. She let her magic imbue her words and her hands as she murmured small words and stroked her hair, letting spells of warmth and hope and safety flow from her and into Zelda, letting their souls entwine.

In that moment when two became one, Lilith realized she loved Zelda. Love, an emotion so sincere and light that she’d given up on ever experiencing it, but here she was, feeling a love so deep and true for Zelda that her bones ached and her heart leapt and her breath caught in her throat. A love so pure that she thought that maybe, just maybe, it could wash away the stains on her soul, both the ones he’d put there and the ones she’d added herself. A love that could heal, not only herself, but maybe the woman in her arms too.

There would be a time for anger, a time for despising Faustus for what he did, a time for hunting down the little wretch and making him beg for mercy at her feet. But now was time to hold this woman and whisper words of love and devotion to her, praying to someone that this love would never be taken away.

And to pray that Zelda understood.

~~~~~~~~~  


_And she brought her flowers every day  
But they said hey those flowers  
They are gray_  


~~~~~~~~~

Lilith fiddled with the tissue paper of the bouquet for what must have been the dozenth time, but she wanted it to look perfect, for this was a special occasion. A few days before, Zelda had mentioned that no one had ever given her flowers before, and although shocked by the confession, Lilith set out to rectify this transgression.

It was a small bouquet, only a few roses and some cornflowers mixed in, but Lilith had made it herself using the flowers she grew in her yard, so she felt as though the flowers were a reflection of herself, and Zelda’s reaction to them would either cause her to wither or bloom.

Finally satisfied, Lilith climbed the stairs to the porch and knocked on the Spellman’s door. It was more of a formality at this point, she was over at their house so often that she practically lived there, but Zelda’s first time receiving flowers had to be absolutely perfect.

The redhead herself opened the door, looking a touch confused. “Darling, you know you can just come in, yes?”

“I know, but flowers are traditionally given on the first date, and if this were our first date, I would be knocking on the door, correct?” She presented the flowers to Zelda, a touch of nerves bubbling up in her stomach. Would Zelda like them? Would she think this too trivial?

“Oh Lilith, these are…” she trailed off, but her smile said it all. The roses were exquisite, with perfectly formed petals of the most captivating color, not quite blue, not quite purple, but – 

“They’re gray,” Zelda said in wonderment, carefully touching one of the petals.

Lilith nodded, and small smile on her lips “They’re a rare strain I found long ago.” She thought back to the bush she’d first seen in Eden, their color so dull compared to the reds and pinks and purples of the other bushes, but Lilith had always had a soft spot for the unassuming things. “I’ve always thought them more beautiful than other roses, so they’re the only kind I grow.”

People thought that only one kind of flower grew in Hell, but that wasn’t true, two kinds of flowers grow in Hell; the fleur du mal, and gray roses that Lilith kept in her room, ones that she never allowed anyone see lest they be viewed as a weakness. She’d cultivated strain after strain for centuries, trying to perfect their color, and once she did, she made sure to always maintain the plant. She didn’t miss Eden or the consequences of being Adam’s wife, but the flowers reminded her of her journey, and how far she’d come since the day she was cast out of The Garden.

“Lilith?” Zelda asked, touching her arm. “You seem far away, where’d you go?”

Lilith simply smiled and shook her head. “Nowhere. I’m right here with you, darling.”

Satisfied with the answer, Zelda looked to the flowers in her arms again, a soft blush rising on her cheeks. “Well, thank you for the flowers. They’re the best gift anyone’s ever given me.”

Lilith smirked. “Zelda dear, if I’d known it only takes flowers to win you over, I’d have given you some long ago.”

Zelda rolled her eyes, but her smile weakened the gesture. Instead she took Lilith’s waist and pulled her close, taking care not to squash the flowers. “Sweetheart, you alone were enough to win me over.” And she kissed her, slow and sweet, like nothing else in the world mattered.

~~~~~~~~~

And so, life continued, the same as always, but now Lilith brought Zelda flowers every day. Sometimes it was just a single flower, long-stemmed and graceful, and sometimes it was a big bouquet, filled with roses and baby’s breath and irises. Regardless of what she gave to Zelda that day, the flowers were always ones she grew herself, either in her yard at her cottage or from the garden she’d started at the Spellman’s, a little plot of land she’d taken over that she grew her favorites in.

And regardless of whatever flowers Zelda received that day, her reaction was always the same: a sweet smile, a soft kiss, and a whispered ‘I love you’ against Lilith’s lips.

And Lilith always returned those words.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've unlocked a bonus scene! This one just didn't really fit in the flow of the story, but I like it too much to trash it.

__

_Then one day they saw her in a dress  
A gift from her it was gray and red  
It stopped them in their tracks  
_

~~~~~~~~~  


“Lilith dear, could you come in here a moment?”

Lilith walks into Zelda’s, or rather, their, room, cocking a hip against the door jam. “You called?”

“I did; arms out.” Zelda held out a tape measure, and Lilith, though puzzled, did as she was told. Zelda wraps the tape around Lilith’s waist, murmuring a number to herself before wrapping the tape around her bust.

“I like where this is going,” Lilith drawled, smirking, “but is there any reason as to why?”

Zelda simply smiles back, measuring the length of Lilith’s arm. “All in good time, sweetheart.”

Finished, the redhead sits at her desk, marking down the measurements, and Lilith follows, placing her hands on the back of her chair and hovering over her shoulder. “Dearest, you should know by now that I’m not a patient person.”

Zelda continues writing, not sparing her a glance but Lilith can hear the smile in her voice. “Then perhaps you should learn some. It is a virtue, so I’m told.”

Lilith rolls her eyes and huffs. “As if I’m known for virtues. What are you planning?”

“As I said, all in good time.”

Lilith glares slightly and leans into Zelda even more. “I can be very persistent.”

Zelda turns suddenly and reaches for her, wrapping her arms around Lilith’s neck. “And I can be very distracting.” She kisses her deeply, nipping at her bottom lip, drawing a gasp out of Lilith before pulling away all too soon and turning back to her desk.

Lilith is a bit dazed; Zelda’s kisses always manage to fluster her more than anything else, but she gathers her wits about her quickly. She leans forward, letting her breath ghost along the shell of Zelda’s ear, just the way that makes her shiver. “Don’t challenge me to a game you cannot win, darling.” She bites her ear, lingering, waiting to hear Zelda’s shuddering breath before pulling away and sauntering out the door. She had some reconnaissance to do.

~~~~~~~~~

Turns out, Zelda was pretty good at keeping information away from spies, and Lilith had tried everything to get information. She’d pried at Hilda, bribed Sabrina, discussed with Ambrose, and had even resorted asking a couple minor demons – great-great grandchildren of sorts – to try to find out what Zelda was up to, but even they couldn’t get more information than ‘she’s ordering something for you from France’.

It had been weeks, and Lilith was in the middle of an elaborate plan in order to secretly search the redhead’s things when a bizarrely _giddy_ Zelda Spellman grabbed her arm and pulled her into their bedroom, babbling something about it “getting here earlier than expected”.

Zelda gently pushed Lilith onto the bed before retrieving a beautiful cream box with a silver pattern on it, topped with an ornate blue bow. She set it in Lilith’s lap, nodding. “Open it.”

She eyes her suspiciously but takes the lid off the box, carefully lifting away the tissue paper. The fabric inside was beautiful, but what she saw when she lifted the garment made her gasp.

It was a silk dress, deep red in color, with a floral pattern printed in varying hues of gray, giving the dress a mesmerizing quality as it moved and shimmered in the light. It would be tight throughout the body like so many of her dresses, with a v-neck and three-quarter sleeves.

“Oh, Zelda, this is beautiful,” Lilith said reverently, running a hand down the cool fabric. “Wherever did you find this?”

“In a catalogue for a little shop in France, I’ve known the owner for centuries. The moment I saw it, I could just see you in it, so I knew I had to get it for you.”

“Zelda, darling, this is…” she trailed off, swallowing past a lump in her throat. Nobody, in her eons of existence, has ever been as thoughtful or loving to her as her darling, her Zelda, and that fact could overwhelm her in moments like these. Desperate to make sure Zelda knows just how much she loves her, she stands, grasping the redhead by the cheeks and pulling her in for a deep kiss.

They part, both dizzy with oxygen deprivation, but smiling, nonetheless. “So, you like it?” Zelda asks, and Lilith just smiles and kisses her again in answer.

When they break again, Zelda is smiling brighter than Lilith has ever seen. “Let’s go out tonight, just you and me.” The redhead bumps her nose with Lilith’s. “Wear the dress. I want everyone to see you in it, ethereal and divine like the goddess you are, and all mine.”

It wasn’t often that Zelda got like this, worshipping and possessive, but Lilith cherished the moments that it happened, basking in the praise, feeling almost drunk off it. “Yes, darling, I want to show that I’m yours.”

~~~~~~~~~

They returned home in the small hours of the morning, having gone for a walk in the moonlight after dinner. Lilith truly had looked ethereal, the mist of the forest surrounding them, and the moonlight glinting off the gray and silver of the dress, making her look celestial, and Zelda had found herself thinking that maybe Greendale wasn’t that bad of a place to be, as long as she had Lilith by her side.

In their bedroom, before Lilith takes off the dress, she wraps her arms around Zelda’s neck, pressing close to her. “Thank you for the dress, darling, it’s truly incredible. I’ve never felt more divine than tonight.”

“You’re welcome, dear, but you should always feel like that. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve even seen, with or without the dress.”

Lilith blushes and smiles shyly. Her whole life, no one has ever complemented her as earnestly as Zelda does, and it never fails to make her feel special. She pulls Zelda in and kisses her softly. “I love you, Zelda.”

Zelda smiles easier than she has in a long time and wraps her arms tighter around her love. “And I you, Lilith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones a little rougher around the edges, but I hope you still enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> How did Lilith get away from Lucifer? How did she keep her powers? Who is ruling Hell? idk, but we'll roll with it
> 
> Also apparently I made Lilith into a gardener, lemme know if you want a long flower shop AU fic with soft babies


End file.
